Higher Stakes
by Kairou Watoshimi
Summary: It was the date auction all over again but this time, it was Jane's well-being on the line. Desperate times called for desperate measures.


**Inspired by hwutrash's original post (on Tumblr); inspiration also taken from hermiethefrog's comment (on that same post).**

 **Higher Stakes**

Thomas wasn't sure how Jane was voted Hollywood University's most desirable student but she was and that meant he—along with the rest of the unfortunate student and faculty body—would be forced to sit through yet another date auction. Thomas had no doubt in his mind that the university dean—Robert Ackermann—had saw how successful Aria Sheridan's celebrity auction was last time and just _had_ to steal the idea. This time, however, winner gets Jane Doe, Hollywood University's most desirable student.

He _really_ wasn't sure how that happened.

When he stepped into the well-lit auditorium, Thomas blinked in surprise at the sheer number of people attending the auction: students, staff, reporters, interviewers—and were those _children?_ —all that for a mere chit of a girl.

Eyebrows twitching in annoyance, Thomas couldn't help but feel a little insulted. He didn't remember that many people at _Sheridan Hotel_ when _he_ was being auctioned off. With a sigh, Thomas had to admit that he wasn't actually all that surprised. Jane's considered to be the next big star of the generation, everyone wanted a taste of her before she became too famous to talk to.

Not that she's the type of person to do that, he mused, watching Robert raised his hands to quiet the audience. He made his way into the section reserved for the faculty and took a seat just as Jane stepped out onto the stage. Her lips curled upwards in a satisfied sort of manner as she took in the crowd. Thomas' eyebrows twitched again and he wondered if it was healthy for people to keep feeding her ego like that.

Robert raised his hands again. This time, with Jane's presence on stage, the crowd was quick to quiet down, wanting to get started as soon as possible.

Barely listening to the dean's introduction, Thomas spent his time watching Jane win over the crowd with her soft smiles and down-to-earth, kind-hearted demeanor. He almost snorted in amusement; if only they knew what was behind her mask. _Overconfident and spoiled,_ he thought, _someone who has absolutely no respect for her betters._

On stage, Jane tossed a thick lock of hair over her shoulder and Thomas suddenly found himself remembering the smell of lavender and Jane. Looking at the smooth skin of her slender neck, he also remembered burying his nose there while he had her wrapped up in his embrace. _A rule-breaker,_ he continued with a scowl meant mostly for himself rather than Jane. _Obviously does not care for boundaries._

 _But_ —Thomas was reluctant to admit—Jane was also passionate. And it was _that_ passion that made it impossible for him to ignore her—to not _care_ for her. There's never a dull moment when talking to her and Thomas could see why people were willing to pay money just for a chance to do so.

 _That doesn't change the fact that she's narcissistic though,_ Thomas thought disapprovingly as he looked up at Jane again. The auction had already started and Jane was looking awfully pleased with the increasing bid after increasing bid. _Typical of her._

"We have three hundred!" Robert shouted, smelling the sweet scent of money coming his way. "Do we have three-ten?"

Thomas blinked; she had almost caught up with what she had paid for when _he_ was the one being auctioned off. How insulting. How very, _very_ insulting. As if feeling the weight of his glare, Jane turned towards him, catching his gaze with her own. She flashed a smirk in his direction, no doubt knowing exactly what he was thinking. _Cheeky._

"Three-fifty."

Thomas froze. He didn't need to turn his head to know who had spoken. _Foul,_ he thought, remembering the frat boy's scent; it was like murder on his nose. Logan something or another, if he remembered correctly.

He looked up again, catching sight of Jane's rapidly paling face. Thomas thought he would have been much more amused by the entire situation if Logan wasn't the one that had bid for her. He wouldn't wish that idiot on anyone, and that—surprisingly—included Jane.

She returned his stare with a wide-eyed look, looking half-disgusted and half-scared.

Thomas raised an eyebrow in question.

"We have three hundred and fifty!" the dean roared, barely able to contain his excitement. Three hundred and fifty dollars for a single student... he should definitely do this more often. And with more students. Already, Robert could envision the beautiful fountain he had always dreamed of having. Right in front of the school. Perhaps he should add a statue of himself. "Do we have three-sixty?"

Thomas watched as Jane's hands discreetly inched towards the folds of her dress, fingers seemly fondling with the cloth.

His phone vibrated.

Blinking, he looked down and lit up the screen.

 _Do something!_ Jane had texted.

Thomas looked up at her and raised his eyebrows again, this time, mockingly; and he was making no attempt to hide it.

"Three-eighty!" Logan called out smugly, flashing a smirk in the direction of the student he was currently in a bidding war with. The crowd began whispering as more and more people began dropping out; it was obvious the idiot wasn't going to be giving Jane up anytime soon.

Despite himself, Thomas felt a sudden desire to reach over and strangle the dumbass but instead, he turned his complete attention to Jane who was viciously nibbling on her bottom lip. It was something she did every time she was nervous or annoyed, he had noticed.

 _Please!_ she texted again. _You can't let him win!_

Thomas tried to imagine what their date would consist of but the mental image was too much and he had to force himself to stop.

For the first time since he met her, Thomas finally— _finally_ —had the upper hand and there was no way he was going to let this chance pass by. _Why in the world would I care?_ he texted back.

Her gaze lowered for a split second to read his message before snapping back up to glare at him. The nerve of her! Honestly.

 _I'll make you lunch for a week!_ she promised. _I'm a very good cook!_

Considering her cooking skills, it wasn't that bad of a deal. A couple weeks ago, they had bumped into each other at a local coffee lounge. Literally. And Jane managed to spill her coffee all of his shirt. So, to retaliate, Thomas stole the homemade lunch she had packed for herself and it was easily one of the most delicious things he ever had the honor of tasting. Ever since then, he had been trying to come up with a believable reason to get her to make food for him.

 _Your bid's at three-ninety and you think a week of lunch is going to cut it?_ he asked.

 _A month!_

Thomas' fingers stilled over the screen. _Very tempting,_ he thought.

"Four hundred!" Logan called out again.

He looked up at Jane and raised both eyebrows. _Offer me something,_ he was telling her.

She did not disappoint. _I'll give you a massage!_ She added. _I give amazing massages, I could be a masseuse if I wanted to._

Thomas didn't doubt it. He had witnessed her single-handedly put Ethan Blake to sleep with a couple well-placed squeezes while eating a sandwich with her other hand.

 _You're going to have to do better than that._

"Four hundred!" Ackermann repeated. "Going once!"

He looked up again, admiring the way Jane was furiously working her jaw in annoyance. _I'll be good during class,_ she pleaded, _the best student you've ever had!_

 _I doubt it,_ he replied, enjoying watching her squirm. Although he would never admit it out loud, Thomas knew he was also quite pleased that out of all her friends, she asked _him_ for help.

"Going twice!"

 _I promise! No more talking back!_

"And—"

"Five hundred," Thomas interrupted, and although his voice was on the quiet site, it was heard above the rambling of all the other occupants in the auditorium. For a moment, everyone fell into complete silence. Then everyone began whispering at once.

He ignored them.

"I-I—what?" the dean stammered, amplified voice echoing throughout the silent room.

"Five hundred," Thomas repeated, ignoring Jane's smile which was more relieved than it was happy. And that—for reasons he rather not dwell on—annoyed him.

" _You again!"_ Logan's voice rang out in anger.

Thomas ignored him too.

Robert cleared his throat, eyes darting from Thomas to Jane and back again as if he was not sure what to make of the sudden and unusual situation. "So. We have five hundred," he said hesitantly. "Do we have—"

"Five-ten!" Logan cried out.

He turned his head slightly, making out Luke's glare and he narrowed his eyes at the idiot in response. Thomas wasn't sure if the annoying frat boy was doing it on purpose to get him back for punching him in the face or if he _really_ wanted Jane. The thought of the grimy boy's hand on Jane made him so ill, he could physically feel his stomach churning at his own imagination. Suddenly, the entire situation didn't seem so funny anymore.

"Six-ten," Thomas continued in the same low, flat, no-nonsense tone. He eyed the frat boy, hoping against all odds that despite how dim-witted the idiot was, he would be able to understand that Thomas wasn't going to be giving up on Jane either. Whatever the idiot planned on bidding, Thomas was going to add another hundred and in the world of money, there was no doubt Thomas would come out the winner. Right now, Jane's auction was already at six-ten, that's practically twice as much as what _she_ had paid for him before. The lunch she promised him better be worth it.

"Six-ten!" Robert squealed, completely forgetting about the unusual situation. "We have six-ten! Do we have six-twenty? Going once!"

Logan glared at him, muttering angrily under his breath.

"Going twice!"

Seeing that the frat boy would not be able to fight back—neither with strength nor money—Thomas turned back to Jane and smirked, watching her frown in response. _Ah,_ he thought, this was going to be amusing.

"And sold!" Robert cried out and the auditorium burst into happy, if slightly hesitant applause. He smiled proudly and waited until the noise died down before continuing, "I would like to thank everyone for coming and participating. I hope that you'll join us next time for another fundraiser. And Thomas, if you could come up here and pay your dues."

Ignoring the fact that everyone's eyes were on him even as they prepared themselves to leave the auditorium, Thomas slowly made his way towards the stage, eyes never leaving Jane's. They were having some sort of odd stare-down that Thomas couldn't really explain. "Homemade lunch and massages," he announced once her and Robert were within hearing distance. "Am I forgetting something?"

"Good student Jane for a month," she grumbled.

"Ah, that's right," Thomas remembered with a nod. "How could I forget the most important one?"

Robert looked at them, moving his head from side to side. "Unbelievable," he muttered, pushing the sensitive microphone away so it wouldn't catch their conversation. "I don't even want to know. Just as long as Thomas pays, you two can go enjoy your... homemade lunches, massages, and reformed students."

"Not students," Thomas corrected. "That would be an impossible miracle. Just Jane."

"For a month," she added, glaring at him.

His eyebrow twitched. "A month," he agreed before turning to address Robert. "You have my card number; you can just take the money off of that."

"All right," Robert said, nodding slowly. "Well, um, I'll leave you two to it then."

Neither of them really noticed Robert leaving, instead, they chose to continue their stare-down. "I feel like I just sold my soul to the devil," Jane muttered, hardening her glare. "Taking advantage of this kind of situation."

"How could I not?" Thomas countered dryly. "You take advantage of every other situation."

She paused and stared at him, contemplating. Then finally, Jane nodded in agreement. "That's true," she muttered, side-eyeing him. "I'll let you enjoy this for now, Professor, but I'll definitely get back at you. Mark my words."

Thomas didn't doubt it.

Her lips curled suddenly, mood shifting so quickly with ease that only _she_ could pull off. He could already feel the happiness he felt of finally having the upper hand against her fading into nothing. " _Anyway,"_ Jane cooed, her tone dropping into a tease. "If you wanted to spend time with me, you only need to ask, Thomas!"

He glared, knowing that he was responding just the way she was expecting but still unable to just let that comment slide. "You're cooking _me_ lunch," he intoned. "Surely that doesn't mean we'll be spending an obnoxious amount of time together."

Jane blinked then stared, looking at him as if he was stupid. "What about a kitchen?" she asked. "Because my dorm doesn't have one so unless you give me something to work with, you're going to be stuck with untoasted sandwiches."

Thomas opened his mouth to say something but realized that she must have borrowed someone else's kitchen the last time. "I'll... think of something," he finally answered.

"Good."

They nodded.

Jane looked up and smiled. "But seriously," she said, reaching out to gently pat him on the hand. "Thank you for saving me from a fate worst then death." And more quietly—more to herself—she added: "Even though I don't think my current one's any better but at least I don't have to deal with Luke's pungent odor."

Luke?

 _Luke?_

 _Ooh._ So _that_ was his name. Close enough.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Jane continued. Thomas could still feel his hand tingling at their contact. "I have to go plan out your lunch for the next month."

He froze, suddenly not wanting this moment—this simple, no arguing (on his part, really) interaction—to end. And just as she turned to leave, without even really realizing what he was doing, Thomas' hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

Jane squeaked in surprised, reflexively spinning back around at his sudden intervention. She looked down at his attached hand before turning her gaze upwards in question. And for a moment, they just stared at each other. "What?" she finally asked. "Don't tell me you already have a menu in mind?"

Thomas swallowed hard. "I thought I paid for a date."

Eyes still staring up into his own, Jane's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, wondering if that was some sort of trick question. "You... did?"

Gritting his teeth, but refusing to drop his gaze, Thomas loosened his grip and slid his hand down the length of her arm until he was holding onto her hand. It was Jane who broke eye contact then, gaze dropping down to stare at their intertwined fingers with large, wide eyes. He could practically feel the wheels in her head click into place as she understood what he could not say out loud. It wasn't until a small, almost shy-like smile stretched across Jane's lips, did Thomas felt himself relax from tension he didn't know had piled up onto his shoulders.

"Come on," he said softly, turning to navigate her through the thinning crowd and out the auditorium.

And although Jane never spoke a word in response, Thomas was sure she was smiling behind him and closed his eyes as her warm hand tightened around his own.

 **Much thanks for Shuneee for allowing me to vent and bounce ideas off of you.**


End file.
